Hei! A huge welcome to all the new international students for Spring semester! I hope you are getting settled, exploring Bergen, and not letting weather stop you from getting out and having fun. If you are new to Bergen this semester, you may be looking for some ways to get settled-in and get involved as…

Your study abroad experience is finite. Do you want to know what aspects of Norwegian culture that you shouldn’t miss while you are here? Always a subjective subject, but perhaps some suggestions can get you started! Cultural Experiences Of course, you have no doubt explored some food, and you already have learned the Norwegian art of gearing up and…

Hei! A huge welcome to all the new international students this Fall! I hope you are getting settled, exploring Bergen, and not letting a little rain stop you from having fun so far. If you saw me at the Welcome Programme, you know I think the keys to building a great study abroad experience in…

Hei hei everybody! (This is the doubled up extra-friendly version of “hei”, which of course means “hi” in Norsk) The August 2017 Welcome Programme starts on Thursday 10 August! It is a hugely beneficial part of your start at UiB, and probably one of the first things you’ll do here apart from getting yourself to Bergen and to…

In response to a recent question I received on a different blog post, I thought it might be helpful for current and incoming students alike to have a master-post on volunteering in Norway. Volunteering is a pretty big part of Norwegian life, so here’s a post with the whys, the wheres, and the hows about the importance…

Hei hei again new international students! This week I wanted to update a post offering ideas of what to do and where to go for fun in Bergen, including highlighting an upcoming volunteer opportunity! Get Active Norwegians tend to be an active and outdoorsy people. You can encounter them frolicking through the mountains like obnoxiously…

Participating in a student organization is a great way to build community in Bergen and make friends with Norwegian students (from both UiB and other local schools). As Julien S. Bourrelle, author of The Social Guidebook to Norway, argues, joining an activity or group is paramount when trying to befriend Norwegians. In his estimation, Norwegians are like wild cats,…

Here’s another great opportunity to get involved in a Bergen tradition, volunteer, meet people, and see films! It’s Bergen International Film Festival (BIFF)! Running this year 20th-28th of September, BIFF, established in 2000, has Norway’s largest selection of films. As it is an international festival, it includes films in a number of different languages. If you, like me, love…

You guys, Bergen’s Public Library has all sorts of cool stuff to take part in (read about some of it here). Coming up this Autumn are all sorts of courses and events. I’m going to highlight a few for you here. If you want to check them out, you may need to contact the library…

Hei! A huge welcome to all the new international students arriving in Bergen for UiB courses! Maybe you’ve seen the weather and wondered if anyone leaves their home. Maybe you’re ready to get out and make some new Norwegian or international friends. Maybe you’re wondering what to do, where to go, how to meet these…